Citizenship RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Citizenship Test: Possible 100 Questions

1. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?

2. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

3. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

4. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

5. When was the Constitution written?

6. What is the supreme law of the land?

7. What is an amendment?

8. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?

9. What is the economic system in the United States?

10. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?

Your Rights A. Due Process

Government must follow the procedures and laws established by Congress and the Constitution.

B. Equal Protection

All Americans are guaranteed the same rights and protections regardless of race, religion, sex, or political beliefs.

C. Basic Freedoms

These are the basic freedoms outlined in the bill of rights such as freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition. We have additional rights not listed in the Constitution.

D. Limits on Rights

Governments can establish laws or rules in order to protect the health, safety, and security of a society. These laws may limit your rights in order to protect the rights of someone else, but these limits must be reasonable. In other words, your rights end where mine begin.

II. Citizenship

Being an American means that you have certain responsibilities in exchange for those rights.

Duties (things that have to be done):

a) Obey the law

b) Pay taxes

c) Defend the nation

d) Serve on a jury

“How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don’t think.” -Adolph Hitler

Responsibilities (things that should be done):

a) Voice your opinion when government has or has not done something you disagree with.

b) Vote (when you turn 18).

c) Be interested in meaningful events (not gossip).

d) Respect and protect the rights of others.

How to Become A Citizen1. Be born in the U.S.

2. Be born outside of the U.S. as long as one of your parents is an American citizen.

3. If you are from another country you can become a citizen through a process known as naturalization.

a. must be at least 18 years old.

b. must have entered the country legally and granted permanent residence.

c. lived in the U.S. for at least five years.

d. possess good moral character.

e. accept the principles of the Constitution.

f. understand English.

g. demonstrate a knowledge of history and the principles of the U.S. government

h. give up any foreign allegiances and promise to obey the Constitution and laws of the U.S.